Adjustable stand



`lune 13, 1933. E. G. BUNTSCHU E1- AL 1,913,790

ADJUSTABLE STAND Filed Feb. 5, 1932 @Tp-fx p Patented June 13;, 1933 -PENT OFFHCE EDGUARD GABRIEL lBUN'SGI-EU AND IGNACE CHARLES BUNTSCHU, OF PARIS, FRANCE ADJUSTABLE STAND Application tiled, February 5, 1932, Serial No. 591,218, and in France February 26, 1931.

|The present invention relates to a piece of furniture which can form at will a music stand, a reading desk or a table, the transformations being entirely automatic inasmuch as the constituent members of the piece of furniture are brought and fixed in their different positions by the extremely simple manipulation of one of the moving parts and of a single locking means.

rElie piece of furniture in accordance with the invention comprises one or a plurality of racks pivoted on the movable portion of a telescopic or other kind of leg, the fixed ortion of which carries a table on the edges of which the racks bear and slide when the movable leg is lowered from upper positions in which the racks freely take up their slope as a music stand and which fiattens them out progressively by making them take up the slopes of a reading desk and finally a horizontal position of a table.

The racks are pivoted so as to take up of their own accord their maximum slope or music stand position: their pivotal axis being located, for example, above their centre of gravity. y

The rack or racks of the stand are pivoted preferably on a slab carried by the movable leg, and the edges of the fixed table project upwardly to a height equal to the thickness of said slab, so that when the stand is completely lowered the slab rests on the table, the upper face of the slab is fiush with the edges of the table, and co-operates with 3@ said edges to retain the racks in the hori- Zontal position.

In order to ensure the rigidity of the racks in their music stand position, the slab is provided with inclined cheeks on which the 40 racks bear.

In order that the support shall remain of its own accord in the position in which it has been placed and thus ensure that the piece of furniture will be transformed in a completely automatic manner, when the racks and their support are raised to form a reading desk or afmusic stand or to raise the stand to a suitable height, the telescopic leg is provided with an automatic locking device which is described hereinafter.

Other'characteristics and peculiarities of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational end view of the piece of furniture according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, in partial section, along the line lll-Il of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial section on a larger scale along the line III-HI of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4l is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1 showing the locking device on a larger scale.

F ig. 5 is a section passing through the axis of the locking roller.

The piece of furniture comprises a fixed leg 1 in which slides a movable leg 2 carry.

ing, at its upper end, a slab 8 on the opposite edges of which two racks of the stand 5 are pivoted at 4. The other edges of the slab 8 are provided with cheeks 6, the edges of which are provided with rubber pads 7 against which the racks 5 bear when they take up their position of maximum slope or music stand position, as shown in dot dash lines in Fig. 1.

The 'fixed leg 1 carries on its upper end a fixed table 8, the edges 9 of which co-operate with the racks 5 in the following manner:

When the movable leg 2 is completely pushed home into the fixed leg 1, the slab 3 rests on the table 8, the cheeks 6, the distance between which (in the oase shown) is greater than the width of the table 8, not abutting aga-inst the table 8, but placing themselves on either side of said table, The edges 9 of said table attain the height of the upper face of the slab 8, and the racks 5 are supported, on the one hand, by their pivot 4 and the upper face of the slab 3 and, on the other hand, by the 'edges 9 of the table 8; they are therefore supported horizontally and form a level table, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. When the movable leg 2 is raised, the racks 5 which are pivoted above their centrev of gravity and have a tendency to take up their position of maximum slope, continue to bear on the edges '9 and by sliding on said edges,

take up the position shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines. it is obvious that the spacing of the cheeks 6 could be less than the Width of the table 8.

It will be noted, however, that it is not essential in order to ensure the tendency of the racks 5 to take up an inclined position, to pivot them above their cent-re of gravity, as the same effect could be obtained in a. well-known manner by the use of suitably arranged springs, levers, hooks, etc.

In said position, the racks have a slope such that the piece of furniturecan be used as a reading table. Moreover, said slope can be varied at will by raising more or less the movable leg.

Then the movable leg is raised still further, the rotation of the racks 5 on their .pivots 4 is stopped by the pads 7 of the .is of the table 8 and straighten themselves out progressively by sliding on said edges, to take up successively the positions of a reading table and finally to come back into the position of a table.

rlhe movable leg can be locked at the requisite height by any suitable means, for example by means of a set screw. However, according to the invention and in order to make said locking automatic and thus make the operation of the piece of furniture completely automatic, the device shown in detail in Figs. l and 5 is used.

In said device the upper end of the fixed hollow leg 1 is cut away on one side so as to form an'incline 10 provided with a metal lining 11. The roller 12 made of metal or any other substance is arranged between the inner movable leg 2 and the incline, the angle of slope of which is such that when Y the leg 2 tends to descend, the roller 12 is jammed between the face 13 of said leg and the incline 11 and prevents the movable leg from moving downwards. The roller 12 is provided with an axle 14 passing through the side walls 15 of the leg 1 and the metal f reinforcement 16 thereof, the ends of said axle being engaged in a metal frame 17. rlhe frame 17 pivots on screws 18 screwed into the fixed leg and is provided with an actuating lug 19. it will be seen that said frame acts as a lever and that in raising the lug 19 the roller is raised, by disengaging it from between the face 13 of the movable leg and the incline 11 of the fixed leg and thus permitting the stand to descend.

It is of course, understood that the invention has only been described and illustrated herein in a purely explanatory but by no means limitative manner, and that it could be subjected to various modifications of detail without altering the spirit thereof.

lVe claim 1. A piece of furniture comprising in coinbination, a pedestal having a fixed member and a movable member displaceable vertically relative to said fixed member, racks pivotally mounted on said movable member and displaceable vertically therewith, said racks sliding on said fixed member during part of the vertical displacement of said movable member and means associated with said movable member for holding said racks in predetermined sloping position after said racks have been raised clear of said fixed member.

2. A piece of furniture comprising 'in combination, a pedestal having a fixed member and a movable member displaceabie vertically relative to said fixed member, Va support mounted on said movable member, racks pivoted to said support at points intermediate their ends and above their eenters of gravity, but sufficiently below their upper edges for said edges to come in contact when said racks are h rizontal, said racks being displaceable with said support, and a table mounted on said fixed member and against the edges of which said racks are adapted to rest when said support is raised above said table.

3. ri, piece of furniture comprising in com-- bination, a pedestal having a fixed member and a movable member displaceable vertically relative to said xed member, a support mounted on said movable member, racks pivoted to said support at points intermediate their ends and above their centers of gravity, said racks being displaceable Awith said support, a table mounted on said fixed member and against the edges of which said racls are adapted to rest when said support is raised above said table, said support having inclined sid-e faces, and pads mounted on said inclined faces of said support, said racks when raised clear above the supporting edges of said table resting in predetermined sloping position.

EDOUARD GABRIEL BUNTSCHU. GNACE CHARLES BUNTSCl-lil. 

